Hepatitis A Seroprevalence by Age Groups in Mardin Province

Abstract

Objective: T & uuml;rkiye is a medium endemic country for hepatitis A virus (HAV) and the seroprevalence of HAV varies regionally. The aim of this study was to determine the immunity status against HAV according to age groups in Mardin province, where no seroprevalence study has been conducted. Materials and Methods: Anti-HAV immunoglobulin G (IgG) tests which were requested from outpatient clinics of Mardin Training and Research Hospital between May 2024 and September 2024 were evaluated. Anti-HAV IgG was analysed with Cobas (R) 6000 system (Roche Diagnostics, Rotkreuz, Switzerland) by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay method. Results: Anti-HAV IgG results of 2765 patients were included in the study. The mean age of the patients was 34.72 +/- 19.27 years, 1459 were female (52.8%) and 1306 were male (47.2%). Anti-HAV IgG positivity was detected in 94.6% of the patients. This rate was 95.3% in males and 94.0% in females. The lowest rate of anti-HAV IgG positivity was in the age group of 13-18 years (66.7%). At the age of 50 years and older, anti-HAV IgG positivity was 100%. The mean age of seropositive patients was higher than seronegative patients (35.6 vs. 19.8, p<0.001). The seropositivity rate was found to be higher in children born after 2012 (when routine HAV vaccination began in childhood) than in children aged 13-18 born before 2012 (95.3% vs. 66.7%, p<0.001). Conclusion: HAV seroprevalence was found to be high in Mardin province. Furthermore, the HAV vaccination programme has yielded positive results. As the 13-18 age group did not benefit from the programme, they are the most susceptible to HAV. Therefore, special vaccination programmes should be implemented for this age group.